Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-01-31
ST. MARKS CHURCH.
Interesting Facts About the Old
and New.
Last Service in the Old Edince-Rev. Mr.
Gwynhe's Discourse.

| Yesterday old St. Marks wa. nsoa fo,
divine worship for the last time, full service
with Holy Communion being celebrated At
III. 80 A. M. The rector was assisted bv hi.
predecessor, the Rev. Samuel Upjohn.
Inc old church was completed in l84l. the
cornerstone being laid july oath and tho
nrst service being held on Christmas day. On
July 10th following the church was conse.
Grated to its holy uses by the venerable
Bishop Griswold. The rectors have been AZ
follows The Rev. Fredk. Freeman. ls4o.
1913; the Rev. Alex. Burgess (now Bishop
OF Quincy, Ill.), l843-lS54; the Rev. w. F..
Armitage afterwards Bishop of Wisconsin,.
lo54-l859; the Rev. G. NJ. Bradley. 1852
1863 (the Rev. J. Gierlow and the Rev W
Wilkinson officiated temporarily) the Rev.
Edwin 4. johnson, l864-l868; the Rev. Sam
uel Upjohn. l868-lSS3; the Rev. Walker
Gwvnne, 1854.
The rector preached yesterday morning the
last sermon in the old church, his text being
Matt xiii, so: Things new and DID,"
Mr. Gwynne first spoke of the four chief
"old things" which the Episcopal Church had
brought to This community As years ago.
|
the terms of admission to and communion in
the Church. The only condition imposed by
the Church in respect to Christian belief was,
and is, the acceptance of the two brief. an
cient and catholic creeds called the Apostles
and Nicene, formularies which are simple,
easily comprehe nded and represent, not the
speculations of theolo. ians of the Seven
teenth century, but the unvarying witness
anu tradition of every age of the Church
from the first. Men were tired of theological
speculatlons and hair splitting, and this
Church came to preach the simplicity of the
Gospel as contained in these formularies
whose sum and substance is a confession of
faith in God the Father, God the Son and
God the Holy Ghost.
The second sold thing" the Episcopal
Church came here to preach vas reverent
ideas and practices in regard to Christian
worship. The church building is not mere
''meeiing house" in which to "hear preach
ing" 1t is declared by Christ to be "the
house of prayer" The Church came to re-
store the old PRAYER Book and the old liturgic
methods OF worship which the Puritan fathers
had abandoned to their greNgzaDss $50 years
before She came to teach\nen reverence
for Christs ''house" and to give back to the
people that share in the services which since
puritan days had been monopolized by the
minister. She came to restore to the laity
their rightful Inheritance of common" that
is "untted" prayer in the only way that it is
possible to do so, namely by means of a
liturgy.
The third sold thing" the church came
here to bring back was the ancient ministry
which Christ had set over His church, and
which He had promised to be with "alway
even unto the end of the world" This
episcopal or apostolic. government by powers
transmitted from age to age 'by the laying
on of hands" had existed alone in the church
for the first fifteen centuries. Out Of SO mil
lions of English speaking Christians to-day
Sc millions acknowledge only as valid this
same Episcopal ministry bv apostolic success
sion. And out of $50 millions of Christians
throughout the world today, 300 millions
hold exclusively to this ancient government
by bishops whose authority descends directly
from the Apostles and from the Man Christ
Jesus. Acceptance OF this ancient Christ
given ministry is tine Only possible hope for
unity among Christians. Abandonment of it
three centuries ago brought countless divis-
ions Its restoration can alone bring that
peace for which Christ prayed" that all may
be one"
The fourth sold thing" which the church
came here As years ago to preach was liberal
ideas in regard to the Christian life. Christ
ian character is The result of gradual growth
under the influence of divine grace in the
| church and by means of education. This
growth will need guidance but it must not be
meddlcd with overmuch. there must be free
dom of development. The church came to
protest against a cast-iron system of training.
She has no taste for minute legislation in
regard to what her people shall eat or drink
or how they shall take their amusements.
She breaches the law of Christian liberty in
things Indifferent, only that all be done Gin
charity and to the glory of God"
After speaking of the readiness of the
church, while holding fast to the "old things,
to welcome and adopt every "new thing that
was good and true, the preacher referred to
St. Marks Home and ST. Catharine's Hall as
both the result chiefly of the earnest Christian
faith of St. Marks parish. He then gave a
brief review of the growth of the Church in
Maine for the last rs years as follows In
lS4l we had less than 400 communicates re-
ported throug hout the length and breadth of
this puritan commonw ealth. Today we have
2649 In l84l the population was slightly
over 500 coo, and today it has increased only
to $50, 900 Thus, while the State has grown
about one and quarter fold, the church has
increased six and a halt fold.
In other words if the growth of the state
had kept pace with the growth of the church.
| the DODul alton w0ul0 DE To-Day tHree hiiiioHs
and a quarter instead OF only two thirds OF a
million, its present number"
THE New CHURCH.
The matter of a new church had been often
discussed during the last twenty years but 1t
was not until January, 1884, that definite
steps were taken and subscription
begun for a stone church BY Easter, 1883,
the sum eff S25, 900 and over had been
pledged and Mr.. r. NJ. Upjohn of New York
was selected as the architect. The contract
for the mason and carpenter work was award
ed to Foster & Son of Waterville they be-
gan digging for foundation, Aug. II, 1883
The corner stone was formally laid by the
Bishop of the Diocese Sept. oath and the
contractors completed their work IN a way
most satisfactory to the vestry a. the close OF
the following year. The handsome grey
granite of which the church is composed was
supplied from the quarry of Colonel Bangs
at Norridgewock The pews OF quartered
oak were made by Mead, Mason Co OF
Lebanon, N. II. The tiled floor OF the choir
and chancel was laid by Miller Coats OF
New York. The organ was rebuilt with the
addition Of one complete stop. double open
knn